Has anyone got any definitive numbers in regards to residual value? Historically BMW's usually have the best residual values. I'm curious to know what the new 07 sedan will have.

 

So what is the residual percentage after 39 months on a new 335i? My 05 G35 has a residual value of 59% with 15000 miles per year. That makes for an outstanding lease as long as you don't plan on buying it at the end of the lease. I don't think you will get those numbers on the 07 right now. I have heard they are more like 54% or 55% right now.

 

I was offered 56% for 39 months 12k miles

 

56% is good but that extra 3% makes a huge difference on your payments!

 

It drops it by around $30/month but I guess that is the price you pay for a new car

 

Don't know on a 335i. This summer I was quoted 61% on a 15K/36mo 330xi. Thats the best I've seen. I also was quoted 59% on a 14K/48mo IS350.

 

Yes those are very good numbers indeed!

 

I'm not familiar with these numbers since I've never leased, but I've seen the absolute numbers on year 1, year 2, year 3 depreciation. I guess that's why so many lease BMWs, because the depreciation % may be small, but the absolute number is large. I got a headache when I saw that number on a 335i, but it's ok, I'll live with my purchase.

What I have seen from experience is that the asking price on a used Honda or BMW is almost insulting given the price of a new one. But on Infiniti, the price seems very nice for a 2 yr. old if one is looking to save money.

 

Of course the absolute $$ amount would be bigger for a more expensive car.
You should look at the % when deciding on whether something is a good "value" or not.

 

A good residual value is really what makes a lease so lucrative...as long as you like switching up cars every couple years.

 

Yes that is true especially if it is in combination with a decent discount off of the MSRP. Basically a high residual with a good discount means that the financing company is over estimating what their car is going to be worth. You are paying for the depreciation. If they under estimate the depreciation then you will pay less. In some cases the lease can be a better deal than buying the car. If they really underestimate the depreciation then you have the opportunity to walk away from the car at the end of the lease. If you had bought the car then you would be stuck with the negative equity.

 

dont forget its a high money factor though

 

Good point. What is a typical rate in the US now for these cars?

 

MF is based off of the current interest rates for auto loans, which according to www.bankrate.com is 6.87% on a 36 mo & 6.94% on a 60 mo.

I'm not sure what the calculation is to covert the interest rate to money factor though.

 

http://1040tools.com/html/wc.dll?cptest1~calc~leasec~my